The Journey Home
by Jaina Kenobi
Summary: Elizabeth is kidnapped and in order to get home she must rely on a familiar stranger. My first attempt at a POTC fic. Also my longest posted fic so far! Huzzah!
1. Prologue

**Title:** The Journey Home 

**Author:** Jaina Kenobi

**Rating:** PG

**Summary:** Elizabeth is kidnapped and in order to get home she must rely on a familiar stranger.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pirates or anything associated with it (though if whoever does own it wants to get rid of it, I'm very willing to take it off his hands...). I'm not making any money off of this story (because if I were I would be in the Caribbean, not posting a fanfic about it).

_Prologue: 4 years after _The Curse of the Black Pearl_, Port Royal, night._

Elizabeth Turner smiled as she laid her baby girl in the bassinet. _Such a sweet face_, she thought happily. _Just like her father._ The thought of her husband, Will, brought another smile to her face, albeit a sad one. Will was off on business in London, and he wasn't scheduled to come back for another week and a half. It wasn't often that he was forced to go--only once every year or two--but Elizabeth hated it. He had left the day after his daughter was born, and he'd only held the baby once. "You should name her Grace," he'd told her. "I always liked that name." He and Elizabeth had agreed that it was her turn to name the baby, since Will got to name their three-year-old son, Jack. But she had made it clear that she was open to suggestions, and Will took advantage of that and suggested as many names as he could think of.

Truth be told, Elizabeth had intended to name the girl Charlotte, after the mother Elizabeth had barely known, but she found that she liked Grace too, so she had finally settled on Grace Charlotte. Will seemed to like it, judging by his short letters home.

It was late at night, and Elizabeth was exhausted. She and Will didn't have enough money to keep a full-time nurse, and her father was loathe to assist them so openly after the obvious breach of protocol she had committed, so Elizabeth found herself up at all hours of the night, whenever Grace decided she was hungry. Elizabeth didn't begrudge her daughter the attention, but it would be wonderful when she finally started sleeping through the night.

Elizabeth started to shuffle back to bed when an open window across the hallway caught her attention. Sighing, she walked over to it and started to close it, but something caught her attention. It was eerily quiet--even for as late as it was--and she though she could feel a strange vibration in the air. Something didn't seem right. She looked up and saw a cloud move slowly over the moon. _Pirates?_ she wondered. But the cloud moved on, and an insect started chirping somewhere nearby; the moment had passed. Frowning, Elizabeth shut the window and trudged back to bed.

She was almost asleep when a shrill scream shattered the silence. Gunshots and the boom of distant cannons followed. Hurriedly, she threw on a light robe and rushed to check on the baby. Grace was crying, but safe.

A sound at the door made her gasp and whirl. "Who's there?" she demanded.

"Mommy?" Jack called, his voice trembling. "Mommy, what's going on?"

Elizabeth hurried over to her son and picked him up, holding him tightly. "It's okay, Jack," she whispered. "Nothing's going to happen to you. But you have to do exactly as I tell you, all right?" 

He nodded solemnly. "Yes, Mommy."

"Okay." Elizabeth paused, casting about wildly for something--anything--that might save her little family. The screams were getting louder, and closer. She could hear more guns going off somewhere in the distance. She was running out of time.

"All right, Jack. Here's what we're going to do. You are going to protect your sister, okay? You have to be brave, and you have to protect her. Do you remember how I taught you to hold her?"

The little boy nodded. "Always support her head, and be very careful so I don't break her."

Elizabeth nodded and smiled. "Right. So we're going to make a bed for Grace and a bed for you, and you are going to make sure that Grace doesn't cry. If you have to, let her suck on your finger. You can't make a sound, do you hear? Not a sound."

"Yes, Mommy."

"Okay, good. You're going to hide in my closet. Let's get some blankets and make you two a bed."

It didn't take much time for them to make a pile of blankets and get the two settled in. Elizabeth was getting frantic with fear at the approaching invaders, but at least she knew that her children were relatively safe. Jack was a good boy, and he understood that when Mommy was this serious, she was to be obeyed without question.

"Good night, darlings," she whispered. "I love you."

"Mommy? Will you come back for us?" Jack whispered back.

Elizabeth tried to smile reassuringly. "Of course, darling. I promise, I will come back. But if I take a long time, remember that only Daddy is allowed to take you out of there. Daddy or Grampa. Okay?"

"'Kay. Night, Mommy. Love you."

"Love you too, sweetheart. Goodnight."

She shut the door and straightened up the room, all the while conscious of the ever-increasing mayhem approaching her home. She took one last look around the room, making sure it looked deserted. It would have to do. She rushed into the hall and grabbed a sword off the wall, thanking God she'd married a former blacksmith and thinking apprehensively about the last time she'd tried to use a sword she'd pulled a sword off a wall... but there was no time for that. She had to get to her father's house. She had to get help--and tell somebody where her kids were, just in case.

Out in the street, the town was the epitome of pandemonium. Elizabeth hadn't seen Port Royal this chaotic since the _Black Pearl_ raided it four years ago. She bit her lip and hurried into the fray. _I've got to get to the mansion,_ she thought. _That's it. Just to the mansion._

But before she could get three steps out of the drive, her world went black.


	2. Chpater 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pirates or anything associated with it (though if whoever does own it wants to get rid of it, I'm very willing to take it off his hands...). I'm not making any money off of this story (because if I were I would be in the Caribbean, not posting a fanfic about it).

* * *

_Chapter 1: 1 1/2 years later, Tortuga, morning._

Elizabeth Turner woke up with a splitting headache. _I haven't been drinking, have I?_ she wondered. She had made a point to refrain from drinking--not an easy task in Tortuga--and she didn't remember drinking anything except water... but then a throbbing in her ankle reminded her of exactly why she had such a headache. Last night she had tried to get someone to take her back to Port Royal, but she had been lucky to escape with her life.

But she had to keep trying. She had come way too far to give up now. Carefully, she stood up, testing her weight gingerly on the injured ankle. It hurt, but she was able to stand. She did her best to straighten her tattered dress and pulled the straw from her hair--she'd slept in a barn loft, hoping to be left alone--and carefully climbed down. Apparently the ankle wasn't broken, because it held up all right, but she would have to be careful with it; it was still very weak.

She took a deep breath to steel herself and went out into the town, squinting in the morning light. The streets were fairly empty at this time of the day, mostly because everyone who was out having a good time the night before was still trying to sleep off the pain that followed the kind of entertainment they pursued. The only people who were out were the locals who owned the few non-pub businesses and some sailors who'd arrived early in the morning and hadn't had time to sample some of Tortuga's finest entertainment.

Elizabeth wasted no time. She walked up to the nearest sailor and tapped his shoulder. "Excuse me," she said. "Are you planning to depart today?"

He eyed her suspiciously. "Aye. This afternoon, weather permitting. What for?"

"Can you take me to Port Royal?" she demanded.

"What?" he asked incredulously. Then he started laughing. "Sure, missy, I can take you to Port Royal. But I wouldn't sail into that port to save me life. Don't you know that Commodore Norrington sails from Port Royal? A pirate'd have to be daft to go there on his own free will!"

Elizabeth wasn't about to give up that easily, though. "I know the Commodore personally, and I can guarantee your safety if you are with me, and don't try to threaten me," she told him. "I promise, no harm will come to you."

"Yeah, well, if it's all the same to you, I'd just as soon not take the risk." He slung a sack over his shoulder and made as if to leave. "Now, will ya just get lost?"

"But you don't understand!" Elizabeth cried, moving to stand in front of him and block him from leaving. "I haven't been home in a year and a half! I have two children who need a mother, and my husband probably thinks I'm dead!"

"Listen, lady. There's not a lot I can do about it, all right?"

"You can take me home!"

"No! I can't. Okay? Sorry, but no. I'm not goin' to Port Royal. End of story." He made as if to leave, but a word from Elizabeth stopped him in his tracks.

"What I wouldn't give to have Jack Sparrow here," she groaned, more to herself than to him.

"Jack Sparrow? You don't think he would take you to Port Royal, do you? He wouldn't go near the place if you paid him! That Commodore Norrington's almost hanged him twice, lass," the man chuckled. "You wouldn't be gettin' any rides from him."

"Captain Sparrow would take me to Port Royal. I helped save him from Norrington both times. And my husband is Will Turner. The son of Bootstrap Bill?" Elizabeth spat back.

The man laughed again. "Oh ho, and I'm Back-From-the-Dead Red, is that it? Do us a favor, lass, and go bug somebody else, huh?" Shaking his head, he walked off, muttering to himself about "crazy wenches."

Elizabeth sat down on a crate and watched him go. "Great, just great," she muttered. "Now what?"

Before she could find somebody else to try to solicit a ride from, a rough hand fell on her shoulder. She jumped, but before she could scream the hand shot up to cover her mouth.

"Hold it there, missy," said a strangely familiar voice. "I heard you talking to Captain Gossanyi over there, and I thought I heard you say that you're married to Will Turner." Elizabeth nodded slowly, and the hand dropped from her mouth. She turned to face this new man, and the sense of familiarity nearly overwhelmed her--she just couldn't figure out why. She didn't recognize his salt-and pepper beard, and she'd certainly never seen his odd, multi-colored bandanna. She noted how his tattered clothes hung loosely on his lanky frame, but he gave the impression that he had great strength despite the way he looked. It was obvious, though, that he'd seen better days. "Who are you?" she asked.

"You can call me Captain. I have no other name."

Elizabeth frowned. "Of course you have another name. You just don't want me to know it because then I would know why you seem so familiar."

The stranger laughed. "True, true. Besides, it puts me at an advantage, because if you are who you claim to be then your name's Elizabeth Turner."

"How did you know that?" Elizabeth demanded.

"I'm friends with Cap'n Sparrow. He told me a little about you and your William Turner. So. If you can prove that you really are Elizabeth Turner, I'll take you to Port Royal. But you have to introduce me to your husband when we get there. I'll want to hear his side of the story, too."

Elizabeth frowned again. _What an odd request,_ she thought. Aloud, though, she demanded, "And how can I prove that I am Elizabeth Turner?"

Captain grinned. "Tell me, Mrs. Turner. How did Jack get off the island? He says that you and I are the only living beings who know, unless you told that Will of yours."

She smiled a little. "The first time he hitched a ride from some rumrunners. The second time I set the island on fire and Norrington found us. Good enough?"

"Aye. Come on, Mrs. Turner. Let's take you home." He draped an arm across her shoulders and began to lead her away, but she shrugged it off.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, more than a little suspicious. His motives were just not enough for her--he was hiding something, and it frightened her. But if he was truly willing to take her home, wasn't it worth the risk?

He rolled his eyes as if the answer should have been self-explanatory. "If the crew thinks you're my girl, they won't touch you. And neither will I, cross me heart," he added at the look on her face. "But if they see you as just a passenger, they won't hesitate to take advantage of you. So do you want my protection, or not?"

Elizabeth grimaced, but she allowed him to put his arm back on her shoulders and lead her to his ship.

* * *

Well, there you have it: Chapter 1. Poor Elizabeth has certainly been through a lot in the last year and a half (don't worry, you'll get the basics of it later). She's starting to get desperate! Oh, and if anyone out there would like to be my beta reader, please let me know because I don't have one right now and I really need one.

To all my wonderful reviewers: thank you SO much! I was worried when I posted this that I wouldn't get a single review (since that's what happened the last couple of times I posted my fics). Thanks for the confidence boost and I certainly hope that this chapter lives up to your expectations.

Specifically, to **FalconWing**: Pacing is the one thing I've always had the most troubles with. I'm delighted to hear that you think my pacing was good! Sorry about the chapter length--I have troubles finding good places to stop my chapters, so they tend to be either really long or really short. But this one's a bit longer for you.

Once again, thank you all!

--JSK


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates or anything associated with it (though if whoever does own it--Disney, I guess--wants to get rid of it, I'm very willing to take it off his hands...). I'm not making any money off of this story (because if I were I would be in the Caribbean, not posting a fanfic about it).

* * *

_Chapter 2, Tortuga docks, midmorning._

Captain's ship, the _Second Chance_, was fairly large by pirate standards. Elizabeth thought it looked almost as big as Jack Sparrow's _Black Pearl_, but it was in better shape than she had ever seen the _Pearl_.

Captain led her past the entire crew to his quarters, where he ushered her in with a flourish and called in to her, "Now, just make yourself comfortable, doll, and we'll be off shortly." Elizabeth grimaced and hoped he was just a really good actor. She was starting to regret her decision.

"Cap'n," she heard one of the crew say nervously, "it's against the Code to bring a wench aboard, sir. The crew's not gonna like it."

But Captain brushed the comment off. "Nonsense, Corky. We're only taking her to Port Royal, anyway. It's not that far."

"Port Royal? Are you mad? Commodore Norrington--"

"--Will not touch us. She knows the commodore personally, and she'll guarantee our safety," Captain cut in. "You don't need to be spreading that around to the crew, now. As first mate, I'm trusting you to keep this information confidential, including our destination. No need to stir up trouble. Now. No more discussion, we need to get going."

Corky didn't sound convinced. "Aye, sir."

They were on their way within an hour, and so far everything was smooth sailing. Captain relinquished the helm to Corky, and he retired to his cabin to talk to Elizabeth. "So, Mrs. Turner. What on earth brings a respectable woman such as yourself to a dirty town like Tortuga?" he queried.

Elizabeth sighed. "It's kind of a long story," she warned.

He gestured wildly in a way that instantly brought Jack Sparrow to mind. "We've got plenty of time, lass. Do you have something better to be doin'?"

"No," Elizabeth answered with a small smile. "All right. About a year ago, as best as I can tell, somebody raided Port Royal. Slavers. And they took me. They couldn't sell me as a slave, not outright, I guess, so they took me. They finally managed to sell me to a Madame in a brothel," she began. At the thought of the disgusting place the Madame had expected her to live, she shuddered and hugged her arms to herself. After a minute of trying to compose herself, she found the strength to continue. "I managed to get away before she was able to force me in to doing something. I had no trouble getting out of the town, and eventually I was able to barter passage away. At the time, getting to Port Royal didn't concern me as much as getting out of wherever I was. I figured I could find somebody else to take me home, as long as I got away from there. But nobody would take me back. Either they were on a tight schedule and didn't have time to stop by Port Royal or they were pirates and wouldn't go anywhere near Commodore Norrington's home town. They'd take me from port to port, and I went, thinking I'd get somebody there to take me home, but nobody would do it."

Captain shook his head. "Why didn't you just give up?"

"I have two kids and a husband, Captain. I need to get home to them. And I promised Jack I'd come back for him," she explained sadly.

"Jack? As in Jack Sparrow?"

She smiled sheepishly. "Sort of. It was Will's idea, naming our son after Jack Sparrow."

"I assume Captain Sparrow doesn't know?"

"No, he doesn't. Why?"

"He'd have bragged about it if he did. Why did you want to name your kid after that old scalawag, anyway?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "Like I said, it was Will's idea. He said something about Jack being the only reason I didn't marry the Commodore."

"You were going to marry Norrington?" Captain asked, eyes wide.

"Yes, well, he proposed, and I had to accept or he wouldn't have gone back to save Will," she explained. "And it was expected that I would marry him--I mean, that was what my father wanted, and there was really nobody else around that was near my station in life. It gave people quite a shock when I turned down the Commodore for a blacksmith."'

Captain sat back in his chair, his eyes wide and his voice tinged with wonder. "I'll bet," he murmured. "Imagine choosing Will over Norrington."

Elizabeth smiled. "Yes, well, what happened was..."

* * *

They talked for hours. Mostly, it was about Elizabeth and her family, but she managed to weasel a few vague comments out of him. The only things that pulled him away were his shipboard duties, and half the time Corky had to come pull him away. Elizabeth was beginning to relax, savoring the knowledge that she was safe and she was finally going home. At times, it seemed almost too good to be true. 

Three weeks into the voyage, she found out that it was.

Elizabeth had almost completely relaxed her guard and she hardly noticed the comings and goings of the crew anymore. She had taken to standing up by the bow of the ship, looking out over the sea and daydreaming or talking to Captain. So when she heard footsteps approaching her, she turned, thinking it was Captain, and gasped. The entire crew, led by Corky, were threatening her with their cutlasses.

"'Ello, doll," Corky whispered. Elizabeth shuddered at the menacing tone of his voice. "You're mighty good friends wit' the cap'n. We though it would be nice if we give him some friendly company, so we're goin' to take you to him."

"What do you mean?" she demanded, frowning.

"You'll be joining the cap'n in the brig, luv. Since you're so fond of him an' all," Corky informed her as he bound her hands. "Come on, now."

He tried to pull her belowdecks, but she resisted. "You'll burn in hell for this!" she spat angrily.

Corky laughed. "I'm going to hell anyway, Missy. D'ya really think this'll make much of a difference?" He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. "Besides, I'll be wit' all me best mates!"

The crew laughed as they followed Corky to the brig and locked her in. "Have fun wit' your Cap'n, Mrs. Turner. And remember, a woman is not to lie wit' her father!" Amidst peals of laughter, he climbed back up to the deck and called back down, "The ship is ours, mates! On deck, and make for home!"

Cheering, the crew rushed up on deck, leaving Elizabeth and Captain alone in the brig.

* * *

Eep! Mutiny is such dirty business. I'm SO sorry about the long wait. Seemed like everything in the world decided to work together to keep me from posting. And, since I'm moving off to college next Thursday, my posts are probably going to get a bit more rare until I get into a routine up there. Just fair warning. Lots of thanks & hugs to everyone who reviewed. It always makes my day to see review alerts filling my mailbox! 

--JSK


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pirates or anything associated with it (though if whoever does own it--Disney, I guess--wants to get rid of it, I'm very willing to take it off his hands...). I'm not making any money off of this story (because if I were I would be _in_ the Caribbean, not posting a fanfic about it).

* * *

_Chapter 3,_ Second Chance_, three bells into the second dog watch._

Captain slumped back against the hull with a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I should have seen it coming."

Elizabeth sat down and hugged her knees to her breast. "It's not your fault." She paused, studying him. In the dim light, he seemed more familiar than ever, but she couldn't figure out why. "Captain, what did Corky mean when he said 'a woman is not to lie with her father'?"

Captain sighed. "He's talking about me. I'm your father-in-law, William Turner. I didn't think he knew..." He trailed off as Elizabeth's eyes widened immensely.

_Of course! I should have known._ Suddenly, though, it occurred to Elizabeth exactly why she _shouldn't_ have known. "But--aren't you dead? Will told me you died on the _Black Pearl_ when Barbossa--"

"You forget," Bill cut in, " that I was still under the curse when Barbossa tried to get rid of me. He had hoped to lift the curse before I had a chance to get away, but he didn't know he'd need my blood to do it." He laughed a little, reflectively. "What I wouldn't have given to see the look on his face when he realized what he'd done."

"But why didn't you tell me?" Elizabeth demanded. "Why didn't you want me to know?"

"You wouldn't have believed me. You thought I was dead. And I didn't want the crew to know, though they obviously found out anyway. Besides, I wanted your first impression of me--good or bad--to be made without the prejudice of knowing that I'm your father-in-law. It was selfish, I suppose, but it's done."

Elizabeth didn't exactly believe his reasons, but she decided not to press the matter. "Well, it doesn't really matter now. What are we going to do about this?" she asked, gesturing to the iron bars surrounding them.

Bootstrap shrugged. "Not a lot we can do, I'm afraid. We'll just have to wait and see what they think they're going to do with us."

"I wish there was a way to get out of this blasted cell," Elizabeth muttered, glaring at the bars.

"There's not. And what would we do once we got out? We're in the middle of an ocean, it's not like there's anywhere we can go."

"So, that's it then? We just sit here and wait for them to kill us, or maroon us, or worse?" Elizabeth said.

Shrugging, Bootstrap settled down on the floor and covered his eyes with his hat. "Pretty much." Since he looked like he wouldn't answer her even if she did say something, Elizabeth resigned herself to trying to get some sleep.

* * *

The next morning, Corky came down and woke them up rather rudely. Unlocking the door, he pulled a still-sleepy Elizabeth to her feet as two of the crew bound and gagged Bootstrap. 

"Come along, kids," Corky drawled. "We're going to send you off on a little vacation."

They hauled their prisoners up to the deck and brought them over to a plank jutting out of the side of the ship. In the distance, a small island sat bathed in the Caribbean sun.

Elizabeth squinted at the island as Corky manhandled her up onto the plank. It couldn't be...

"All right, Mrs. Turner, let's see how well you can swim," Corky snarled. He pushed her to the edge of the plank, and Elizabeth looked down into the water. Not again, she moaned silently.

"Come on now, we haven't got all day," Corky said. "Are you going to jump or are we going to have to push you?"

Elizabeth glanced back at Bootstrap, who tried to shrug. Sighing, she looked back and whispered, "I'm sorry, Will." With that, she took a deep breath and jumped in.

She swam to shore to see a lush, but small grove of palm trees growing inland. Nervously, she walked over and dug in the ground a little way. The palm trees were just big enough...

Yes, there it was. The charred remains of an older palm tree jutted a few inches out of the ground, and under the sandy topsoil there was a layer of ashes. A few feet farther in she could see a large mound covered with small bushes and the like--exactly where the bonfire she had set five and a half years ago would have blazed. Elizabeth, to her surprise, burst out laughing.

"I don't see anything particularly funny about this," Bill said as he approached.

Turning to him, she explained, "This island. It's the same one Barbossa marooned Jack and me on, almost six years ago. What are the odds...?"

Bill glanced around, still not particularly amused. "Yes, well, as remarkably slim as those odds are, I don't see anything particularly funny about it. There's not even any rum here to ease the pain."

Elizabeth finally managed to stop laughing. "Yes, I know. But it's just... well, of all the places this adventure could have taken me, this is the last place I'd have expected to end up."

"I still don't see what's so funny about it."

"When you've been this far away from home for as long as I have been, you tend to look for anything to make you laugh," she explained hotly.

Bootstrap said nothing, just shook his head and started walking away.

"Where are you going?"

He turned to face her, walking backwards. "For a walk!"

Elizabeth sat down and gazed out to sea. "The island's not that big," she muttered, knowing he couldn't hear her. "You're wasting your time."

* * *

I am SO sorry that it took so long to update this! I got moved in up here just fine, and I was working on getting my internet connection to work, but on Saturday afternoon I had to go the ER because I was bleeding severely. I'll spare you the gory details, but I did lose 50% of my blood due to a condition that I have and didn't know about (again, I'll spare you the details). They had to give me two units of blood to keep me going and they didn't release me until Monday evening. And I didn't get hooked up to the internet until Wednesday night, and then I had to go and find this chapter on my computer because I wasn't sure I had transferred it from my parents' computer to mine and then I couldn't get my computer to let me log in and now is the first chance I've had to sit down and give you an update since. So I have a good excuse, but that doesn't make me feel any better for making you all wait.

Anyway, I'm on the mend now, and so I decided it was way past time to give you all an update! I hope you enjoy it, and I'd love to hear from you either way. Millions of thanks to all my reviewers so far--you keep me writing!

--JSK


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pirates or anything associated with it (though if whoever does own it--Disney, I guess--wants to get rid of it, I'm very willing to take it off his hands...). I'm not making any money off of this story (because if I were I would be _in_ the Caribbean, not posting a fanfic about it).

* * *

_Chapter 4, Jack's island, midday._

It wasn't long before Bill came back, but he seemed a little more excited than Elizabeth thought was fitting, under the circumstances.

"Elizabeth!" he called, running up to her. "You'll never guess what I found!"

She couldn't think of much that would excite him so much. "A ship? A boat, at least? A way off?"

He grinned and held up a sand-encrusted bottle. "Better," he told her happily. "Rum!"

Elizabeth stared at the bottle in shock. "Better? I thought I burned all that stuff last time!"

He grabbed her hand and dragged her back the way he'd come. "The whole island didn't burn," he explained. "Some storm or something doused it before it burned the whole thing. And the rumrunners weren't stupid enough to put all their rum in one place. They had two--maybe even three--different places, in case one got raided. You burned one, but the other's still there!" He pulled her over to an open hatch similar to the one Jack had found. Elizabeth peered in, and sure enough, the cache was even more full than the other had been.

"Oh, wonderful," she said dryly. "Now we can get drunk every day for a month. Just what I wanted."

Bill looked slightly injured. "Hey, I thought you'd be excited," he apologized. Apparently all the women he'd known shared his love for rum. It made Elizabeth wonder about Will's mother...

"Oh, yes, I just love getting drunk. I especially love getting hung over the next morning. Oh, I'm excited all right," Elizabeth retorted bitterly. "A stockpile of rum is really going to make me happy."

Bill frowned down at it. "We could set it on fire," he suggested. "Like you did."

Elizabeth glanced at him, wondering if he was joking. "Nobody would come. Nobody's been looking for me for a while, Bill. They all think I'm dead."

Shrugging, he climbed down and pulled out another bottle. "Suit yourself," he said. "I'll just pull most of it out--no use wasting _that_ much good rum--and torch it myself."

She grabbed a bottle and took a big gulp. "Just be careful when you do, to make sure that we have enough food to live off when nobody comes," Elizabeth warned. She walked away, still holding the bottle of rum.

"Where are you going?" Bill called.

Elizabeth turned around and shouted back, "To get bloody drunk!"

_I thought she didn't like rum,_ Bill thought to himself. _Ah, well, women will be women._ Shaking his head, Bill set to work.

* * *

Okay, that was certainly on the shorter side of things (I have a feeling that the chapters in this story are doomed to be short) but I had it ready and I had a spare minute in which my computer actually let me on line--miracle of miracles!--so I decided to give you another chapter. Next chapter should introduce Captain Jack Sparrow! But be warned--Captain Sparrow is notorious for getting out of character, so it might take me a while to post simply because I can't get Jack to act like Jack. Punk. Man can't behave himself to save his life (of course, that's a foregone conclusion, and I'm sure you all know that and love him for it, but it sure makes writing him a demmed inconvenience).

Many thanks to my reviewers and for the support you've given me. My roomate gets annoyed because I get all excited when she's trying to study--"Omigod! I've already got two reviews! Check it out!" And she's sitting over there going "What a loser..." BUT I don't care; I'd much rather be a happy loser than a miserable winner. So, as always, reviews are welcome (and encouraged)!

--JSK


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pirates or anything associated with it (though if whoever does own it--Disney, I guess--wants to get rid of it, I'm very willing to take it off his hands...). I'm not making any money off of this story (because if I were I would be _in_ the Caribbean, not posting a fanfic about it).

* * *

_Chapter 5, Jack's island, 1 week later, morning_

Elizabeth was beginning to regret drinking so much rum over the past week. She was getting sick of having a hangover every morning, and they were getting so bad that she couldn't sleep them off. Groaning, she flopped back onto the sand. Bad idea--it made her headache worse. And now the sun was shining right in her eyes. She squeezed them shut, trying to replaced the pain with images of her family.

But Bill, who had been carefully adding palm leaves to his bonfire all week, ran up to her before she had a chance to fall back asleep. "Elizabeth! Wake up! It worked, Elizabeth! There's a ship coming this way!"

She opened her eyes and slowly sat up. Sure enough, there was a ship anchored offshore and a rowboat was headed toward them. "What do you know?" she mused. "It worked."

Bill grinned. "I told you it would," he said. "Come on, let's help them ashore. And if they ask, we were passengers on a ship and the crew mutinied, killing the captain and leaving us stranded here. You'll be my daughter."

"And if it's Commodore Norrington, or one of the others out of Port Royal?"

"I'm your father's second cousin's uncle's grandson on his mother's side."

"What?"

"A very distant relative."

Elizabeth peered at the ship. "I don't think that's a Navy ship, anyway... I think it's the _Black Pearl_!"

Bill stiffened. "Not possible." He stared out at the ship. "It is! It's Jack!" He ran out to the rowboat, which was close enough to shore that the majority of its crew was out and pulling it onto the beach. Elizabeth hurried after him, her headache (mostly) forgotten in the excitement.

Jack and Bill were busy slapping each other on the back, exclaiming. Elizabeth stood back and watched impatiently until they were finished.

"Jack," she began, stepping towards him.

"Elizabeth! So you finally met ol' Bootstrap here, eh?" he exclaimed with another good-natured thump on his friend's back.

"Yes," she said impatiently. "Listen, Jack, we need to get to Port Royal. Can you take us there?"

Jack, who had been walking hesitantly towards the diminishing blaze, stopped in his tracks and whirled around.

"Port Royal?" he asked. "Are you daft? I can't sail to Port Royal."

"Why not?" she demanded desperately, seeing her last hopes of getting home disappear.

"Elizabeth, have you forgotten? Norrington's almost hanged me twice. If he managed to get a hold of me again, I doubt you or Will would have a chance of getting close enough to pull off another daring rescue. And security on me would be so tight I wouldn't be able to blink," Jack said. "It's not worth my neck."

Elizabeth wanted to wring his neck. "Jack, I haven't been home in nearly two years. All you have to do is get me within _rowing_ distance of Port Royal and I'll leave you alone. Just take me home. Please?"

Bill, seeing that Elizabeth's words were having no effect on his friend, stepped in. "Jack, you see that fine blaze over there?" Jack nodded. "Well, we found another cache of rum. And this time, I took the precaution of setting aside half of it well away from the fire. The rum is yours if you agree to take Elizabeth and I to Port Royal. Yours and yours alone--I won't demand a drop of it. But only if you take us."

Jack stroked his chin, thinking. "I dunno..."

Bill threw his arm around Jack's shoulder. "You know, mate, I risked a lot standing up to Barbossa back on the _Pearl_. You almost cost me my life. Don't you think you owe me one?"

"And Will and I would owe you a really big favor," Elizabeth put in. "Even if you don't collect from us, Jack and Grace would pay you back if you ever needed their help, I'm sure."

Jack, who looked somewhat more inclined to agree now that rum and honor were at stake, frowned. "Me and who?"

"No, no," Elizabeth said, smiling a little. "My children. Jack is my son--he's four--and Grace is my baby girl."

"You named your son after me?"

"Don't get a swelled head," she warned. "It was Will's idea. I just went along with it."

Jack smiled. "All right, I've changed me mind. I'll take you to Port Royal in exchange for the rum and the chance to meet my namesake. Do we have an accord?"

Elizabeth glanced at his outstretched hand. "I don't know..."

"I promise, I won't do anything to the kid. I'll even be sober if you want me to. I just want to see him," Jack said.

Jack acted drunk enough when he was sober, so his words weren't really encouraging, but Elizabeth thought it was a small price to pay in order to see her children again. She took his hand. "Agreed, then. Just as long as you're sober."

Jack smiled. "Of course. Now, where's the rum? I've got a lot of drinking to do before I have to quit for the kid's sake."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, wondering what she'd just gotten herself into. But Bill was already leading Jack to the stash of rum, and she hurried to follow.

* * *

Well, that was a little longer. Though I can't say that it was that much better... Jack is darn near impossible to keep in character and I don't think I quite managed it. Ah, well. It's closer than it was, let me assure you! Anyway, as always, reviews are welcome (including constructive criticism, but flames will not merit a response, so be warned), and to all those who have reviewed in the past I send many sincere thanks and baskets of cookies!

--JSK


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pirates or anything associated with it (though if whoever does own it--Disney, I guess--wants to get rid of it, I'm very willing to take it off his hands...). I'm not making any money off of this story (because if I were I would be _in_ the Caribbean, not posting a fanfic about it).

* * *

_Chapter 6, _Black Pearl,_ first bell into forenoon watch_

This time, Elizabeth didn't let her guard down, even though she was fairly certain she could trust Jack to take her home. She'd almost made it home plenty of times before, only to be stopped almost with in sight of her goal. She was not about to let anything keep her away from her family ever again.

Still, there seemed to be nothing that could get in her way now. The crew of the _Pearl_ generally seemed to enjoy, or at least tolerate, her company--barring some good-natured teasing--and they certainly loved having Bootstrap Bill aboard. Even Jack seemed to catch some of the crew's enthusiasm, and the rapport between the two old friends had the ability to put the whole crew at ease. It was beautiful sailing, too, for the most part, which always helped to boost morale. Only a week of a dead wind interrupted the perfect weather--and Jack simply had the crew run out the sweeps and re-divide the watches to keep them going. Things seemed perfect.

They were two days away from Port Royal when they were hailed by a Navy ship--the _Dauntless_.

Jack took action immediately. "All hands on deck! Run out the guns and get ready for a fight, gents!"

"No!" Elizabeth cried. "Jack, we can't fight. We're too close to risk it."

Jack turned to her angrily. "Are you mad? What do you propose we do, invite them on board for a spot of tea?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "Not exactly. We just pretend that this isn't your ship anymore."

"WHAT?" 

"Hear me out," she said, holding up a hand to stop the rest of his outburst. "You lock yourself in your quarters, and Bill and I tell them that he took the ship from you so he could take me home and see his son. You're not sailing under the Jolly Roger, so they'd have no reason to suspect that you're pirates anymore. They'll leave us alone, I know it. Please, Jack."

Jack stared at her, knowing that it was a cold day in hell when Elizabeth Turner begged anybody, let alone a pirate. And this was the second time since he'd found her that she'd done it. "All right. We'll try it," he conceded. "But if they don't buy it, we'd be in the perfect position for an ambush, and I will take full advantage of that. Savvy?"

Elizabeth could have hugged him--could have. But she settled for an enthusiastic, "Oh, thank you, Jack!"

"Yes, yes, you'd better go tell Bill about your plan. I'll be in my cabin. Come get me when this madness is over," Jack said gruffly, embarrassed by her gratitude and still miffed at her plan.

Elizabeth watched Jack saunter to his cabin, and as she turned to find Bill, she noticed Gibbs watching her. "Norrington knows me, too, you know," he reminded her. "So I'm going to head to the galley and I'm not coming out either. And if anything happens to us, I'm holding you responsible." Elizabeth nodded her understanding, and he walked off. She hurried to tell Bill about her plan, and by the time the _Dauntless_ was close enough to see anything incriminating, the guns were out of sight (though still loaded and ready to pound the _Dauntless_ into very small pieces at a moment's notice) and the crew was either below decks or working quietly. Elizabeth stood next to Bill to welcome the boarding party.

"Here they come," she whispered, more to herself than to Bill.

"Bill glanced at her. "Nervous?"

"Yes."

"Don't be." She smiled a little, but he could tell that she was not reassured at all.

The _Dauntless_ pulled up alongside of the _Pearl_ and the two ships anchored themselves together. Norrington was one of the first across.

"James!" Elizabeth exclaimed, pumping relief into her voice.

His shock was obvious. "Elizabeth?"

"Oh, it's so good to see a familiar face!" she gushed, giving him her brightest smile. "I was beginning to think I'd never see anything of home again."

Norrington looked around, confused. "Isn't this Jack Sparrow's ship?"

"It was Jack Sparrow's ship," said Bill smoothly. "And now it's my ship."

"And who are you? Another pirate?" 

"William Turner, Senior, sir," Bill answered, shaking the commodore's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Senior...?" Elizabeth felt sorry for the poor commodore, he was so confused. But she smiled.

"He rescued me when he found out who I was," she explained to him. "And now he's taking me home, so he can meet the children and see Will again."

The commodore collected his wits and nodded. "I see. Well, in that case, I assume you'll be wanting to get home as soon as possible?"

"Yes. And that's why I'm so glad that Dad got the _Black Pearl_ from Jack. I've been away for so long."

"Dad?"

"I asked her to call me that, sir, seeing as how I am her father-in-law."

"Oh, I see. Well, considering that my entire fleet is on the lookout for this ship, I suppose I should offer you an escort home. You'll never make it into the harbor, otherwise. I'm afraid they've been instructed to shoot first and ask questions later."

Swallowing hard, Elizabeth glanced at Bill. She hadn't counted on this. "That's very kind of you, James, but I don't really want to slow down at all. Couldn't you just give us a letter of passage or something?"

"I'm afraid they'd shoot you to bits before you got a chance to show them the letter," Norrington explained. He looked genuinely sorry, and there was really no way out of his offer without giving up the charade, something Elizabeth absolutely refised to do. "It would be suicide to attempt it in this ship without my escort service."

Elizabeth had no choice but to accept Norrington's offer, despite what Jack would say to her later. She only had one condition: "As long as we don't mix the crews. I don't want to mess with that. Let's just leave everybody to their own ships, and we won't have to sort it back out again when we get there--or when Dad decides to leave." The last thing she needed was for Norrington to decide that she needed a more personal escort--or a spy. Their story wouldn't last a day.

Norrington nodded. "As you wish, Mrs. Turner. Men! Back to the _Dauntless_. Make ready to escort our friends home." He took Elizabeth's hand and bowed over it, his lips not quite brushing her skin. "I shall see you in Port Royal, milady."

Smiling graciously, she answered, "My deepest thanks, Commodore. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some business to attend to." With all the diplomatic skill one would expect of a governor's daughter, she slipped away and hurried to the captain's cabin. Bill stayed on deck long enough to see Norrington and his men safely onto their own ship, then went to tell Gibbs the bad news.

* * *

Woohoo! Finally, a chapter back up to the right length! Actually, it was originally supposed to be longer, but I didn't want to wear your eyes (and your brain) out trying to read all that in one sitting, so I decided to break it up.

And I think Chapter 5 had more reviews than any of my other chapters, which is AWESOME! Millions of thanks to all who reviewed--you keep me writing (especially since, when I started posting this, I was pretty sure that it wouldn't be a very good story).

You all rock on ice!

--JSK


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pirates or anything associated with it (though if whoever does own it--Disney, I guess--wants to get rid of it, I'm very willing to take it off his hands...). I'm not making any money off of this story (because if I were I would be _in_ the Caribbean, not posting a fanfic about it).

* * *

_Chapter 7,_ Black Pearl_, third bell into forenoon watch_

Elizabeth knocked on the door to Jack's cabin, dreading the conversation she knew was coming.

"Aye?" Jack called from inside.

She opened the door and stepped through, letting it swing shut behind her. "Jack? I've got some bad news."

As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she could see him sit up from where he'd been laying on his bed. "What did you do to my ship?" he asked warily.

"Nothing. Your ship is fine. But... Norrington insisted on giving us an escort to Port Royal, so you'll have to lie low until we get there."

"What?" He didn't shout, but the deadly tone of his voice almost made her wish that he had.

"I'm sorry, Jack. He said that every one of his ships is on strict orders to shoot this ship on sight, without waiting for a surrender or anything. What if we'd gone into Port Royal without knowing that? We'd have been blown to bits. It's not that bad, after all. You can probably even come up on deck, as long as you tie back your hair and change your clothes. And let Bill play captain for a couple of days."

She could see him struggling to control his anger. "First of all: we wouldn't be going to bloody Port Royal in the first place if I hadn't tried to be nice to you--and if I hadn't owed Bill--so I wouldn't have had to worry about bloody Norrington and his bloody friends anyway. Second of all: who gave you permission to allow or deny the bloody commodore anything in the first place, especially when it concerns my bloody ship? Third: Bootstrap is bloody lucky I like him and I know how you can manipulate people, because nobody bloody 'plays captain' on my ship except me and I don't bloody 'play'!"

"I know, and I'm sorry," Elizabeth said, trying to placate him. "But what would you have me do? Anything I could have said would have made him suspicious, and then he'd have searched the ship, and found you, and then we'd be in a fine mess!"

"You could have taken 'em all captive," Jack said sullenly. Elizabeth gave him a look, and he backed off. "It was just a suggestion," he muttered.

"You don't have to let Bill actually be the captain. Just make it look like it from Norrington's ship. Like, every time you give an order, talk to him first. Just little things."

Jack frowned, but she could tell that the worst was over. He would play along for as long as he had to, and she'd hear no more about it... at least, not until he felt the need to tell Will the story.

"I'll leave you to get changed. I assume you have some... less conspicuous clothing?"

He nodded and shooed her out the door, ignoring her attempts to apologize.

Bill met her on deck. "How'd it go?"

"It could have been worse," she answered wearily, "but not much."

He offered his arm and walked her over to the wheel. "We've got to make it look like I treat you like a queen," he explained in reply to her curious glance, "in case Norrington tries to spy on us. I don't want him coming on board again, especially not to tell me how to treat a lady."

Elizabeth shook her head, knowing that it would take a bit more than not offering her an arm to bring Norrington back to the _Pearl_, but she didn't protest. "How long do you think it will take us, now that we have to slow down for the _Dauntless_?" she asked instead.

Bill shrugged. "I can't say for sure, 'cause I've never been on the _Dauntless_. Still, we're not that far out. It shouldn't take more than three or four days."

She sighed. "I was _this_ close to getting home. Two days! Is that really too much to ask?" 

"Apparently so." He looked like he was going to say more, but the sight of Jack coming out of his cabin stopped him. The red bandanna was gone, as were the bone and the beads (Elizabeth wondered idly how he'd gotten them out of his hair at all, but decided not to push things by asking). With his hair tied back, and him clad in a simple white shirt and dark blue trousers, he hardly looked like the same man. For all Norrington would know, he could be anybody.

He spied Bill and Elizabeth and hurried over to them, scowling. "You both owe me for this," he said angrily.

"I didn't do anything, Jack. It was her plan, and she had no way of knowing that Norrington would insist on giving us an escort," Bill said. "But imagine the story this will make. You've got to be first pirate in history to get an honor escort from the very Navy that's trying to kill you!"

Jack frowned. "We're going to Port Royal. Not too impressive, mate."

"What'll be impressive is when you get back out of Port Royal without the commodore being any the wiser," Bill said.

"I still look like a pansy," muttered Jack.

"You do not. You look more dashing with your hair tied back than you ever did before," Elizabeth retorted hotly. "More dangerous, too."

"That," Jack said, pointing a warning finger at her, "is a very bad lie." But she could tell that he was pleased.

And, honestly, she didn't care what Jack thought. She didn't care what anybody thought. She had finally triumphed over the fate that had kept her from home for so long. This time, she would actually make it home. Nothing could stand in her way. Elizabeth could hardly wait.

* * *

Sorry that took so long to post. I actually had it ready a while ago, but a combination of lack of time, crashing computers, and forgetfulness made me hold off until today.

But, the good news is we're practically home free! There are about two chapters left to this story, which isn't a whole lot, but Elizabeth still has a couple of problems heading her way.

As always, giant piles of thanks to all my reviewers, and of course I would appreciate any comments you have for me.

--JSK


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pirates or anything associated with it (though if whoever does own it--Disney, I guess--wants to get rid of it, I'm very willing to take it off his hands...). I'm not making any money off of this story (because if I were I would be _in_ the Caribbean, not posting a fanfic about it).

* * *

_Chapter 8, _Black Pearl_, 2 bells into second dog watch _

The days went by excruciatingly slowly, but they did eventually pass. Elizabeth couldn't control her restlessness, although she knew it was agitating the whole crew. She tried to fill the empty hours by talking to Bill and Jack, but it wasn't enough. Never far from her mind was the thought that, after nearly two years, she would finally be home.

So when Port Royal came into sight, Elizabeth was waiting on deck, packed and ready to go. She didn't even wait until the ship was ready before she rushed off. She told Bootstrap and Jack that she'd meet them on the docks at sundown and raced for home.

"Hey, there, missy, where're you running off to so quick?" a rough voice demanded from behind her. A gnarled old hand grabbed her shoulder and whirled her around, revealing a drunken old sailor who probably should have retired decades ago.

"I have a very important meeting," she said, "and I'm running late."

The sailor shook his head sadly. "Ah, miss, I'm sure that can wait while you earn a few extra coins, eh?" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and flashed her a smile full of rotted teeth.

Grimacing, Elizabeth tried to extract herself from his grip, but it was like iron. "I'm terribly sorry, sir, but I'm just not that kind of lady."

"Now, miss, there's no need to be playin' games wit me. Ladies like you all look the same--I know. Besides, I know I don't look like much, but I still got it where it counts." He tried to drag her away, but she resisted. "Look 'ere, miss, I won't be long. I'm just gettin my two cents in before the younger gents take all the good'uns."

Elizabeth, disgusted at the thought of being considered a "good 'un," realized too late that her tattered, once-fine dress made her look a bit like a tart. "Really, sir, I can't."

But he wasn't going to give up until he got what he wanted, and he was getting impatient. "Listen, miss, in your line of work you'd better learn to take what you can get. And tonight, you can get me."

"That's not my line of work!" she answered, bringing her knee up to connect anywhere it would--and her aim was true.

"Why, you little--" he moaned, clutching his injured parts. Elizabeth bolted. "Oh, no you don't!" He hobbled after her, seething. "If you won't have me one way, you'll have me t'other!"

Elizabeth ran, not daring to look back or anywhere but straight in front of her. Suddenly, she tripped on her skirts and fell headlong into the mud. She struggled to get back up, but the old sailor had caught up to her.

"Not so fast!" he barked, shoving her back down. "You've made it a bit difficult to do what I'd originally intended to do with ye, so I'll teach you why you don't argue with your clients." He raised his fist to hammer down on her, but someone came up behind him and whacked him over the head, sending him sprawling in the mud, unconscious.

"Will?" Elizabeth asked, hoping against hope that perhaps her rescuer was her husband, or at least somebody who could lead her to him.

But the man shook his head. "No, I'm afraid it's just me," he said gently.

"Bill," she sighed. After all that, and she'd been so close... she squeezed her eyes shut against the tears.

"What was that all about?" Bill asked as he helped her to her feet. "Here I come looking for a nice drink to pass the time, and instead I find you lying in a muddy ditch at the mercy of this ancient jack-tar."

"Don't remind me," she muttered. "He mistook me for a whore. And when I refused to go with him, he tried to beat me."

"You're lucky I found you when I did," Bill answered. "He coulda done you good, and you could catch cold lying in the mud like that."

She frowned. "I tripped over my skirts. At least nothing feels broken. Mind if we go back to the _Pearl_ and let me change?"

Bill nodded and offered his arm, which she gladly took. "I'm sorry, by the way," he said as he escorted her back to the ship. "That you got held up again. This time, I'm going to see to it personally that you make it home."

Elizabeth smiled at him. "Thank you."

Bill smiled back. "You're my daughter-in-law, remember? That's my job." He paused, then grinned mischievously. "Actually, technically, it's Will's job, but seeing as how he's not around to do it, I'll gladly accept the honor until we find the lad."

Elizabeth smiled again, and they hurried back to Jack's ship.

* * *

Okay, that was just slightly on the short side, but it was either extend it to there or end it when old mister sailor man was getting ready to beat on dear Elizabeth, and I figured that was way too short of a chapter to leave you with, so I gave you a bit more.

As always, don't forget to review!

--JSK


	10. Chapter 9: Finale

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pirates or anything associated with it (though if whoever does own it--Disney, I guess--wants to get rid of it, I'm very willing to take it off his hands...). I'm not making any money off of this story (because if I were I would be _in_ the Caribbean, not posting a fanfic about it).

* * *

_Chapter 9, _Black Pearl_, 3 bells into the night watch_

Elizabeth and Bill made it back to the _Pearl_ only to find that Jack was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Jack?" Elizabeth asked Gibbs.

"Out lookin' for Will. He heard a rumor that Will might be up at the fort, and he went to investigate. Don't worry, he didn't go out looking like a pirate. He's not that daft." The old pirate checked his pocket watch and glanced out at the docks. "He ought to be back soon. Port Royal's not that big, and Will's pretty easy to spot."

Elizabeth ran her hand through her hair--or, rather, she tried to, but was stopped by a clump of mud and matted hair. "Maybe I should take this chance to wash up, then." Bill took her to his cabin and gestured to a small basin of water. "That's all I've got, but you can use it. I'll go see if Jack's got a cleaner dress around here."

As Elizabeth did her best to clean the mud out of her hair, Bill rummaged through Jack's things. Finally he came back, holding a dark gown. "This looks like it'll fit, don't it?"

Elizabeth turned to look at it, dreading the thought that it might be the same dress that Barbossa had given her. It wasn't, to her relief; it was a deep midnight blue, with a slightly more modest cut than that of the other. She smiled. "That will do fine," she told him.

Bill spread it out on the bed. "I'll let you change into it, then," he said, and walked out.

Turning back to the basin, Elizabeth finished cleaning the mud out of her hair as best as she could, and wiped her face and hands on the inside of her battered gown. She hurriedly changed into the blue gown, then decided to put her hair up loosely, to hide whatever mud she couldn't wash out of it. She found a mirror and a hairbrush in a drawer, along with a few hairpins, and she put them to good use (though she refused to wonder why Jack had such things aboard his ship).

By the time she was done, nobody would have known what she'd gone through that night, let alone the last year and a half. Satisfied with her appearance, she hurried out of the cabin to see if Jack had returned yet.

He had, and he was standing by the mainmast talking to Bill. Will was nowhere in sight.

"Jack?" she called, hurrying towards him. "Where's--"

"Will?" Jack finished for her. He sighed. "Not here. He's away--looking for you, I'd imagine."

Elizabeth felt weak. "What?" she whispered. After all that, he wasn't even here to welcome her home? And what about the children--had he taken them, too? Or had he hired somebody to care for them while he was away?

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth," Bill was saying.

But she was already moving on. "Fine. I'll be home to welcome him back." She was already halfway down the gangplank.

"Then I'm coming with you," Bill said, jogging to catch up. "No more episodes like last time." Elizabeth flashed him a grateful smile.

Jack sighed. "AnaMaria," he called wearily, "you're in charge until I get back." And he, too, hurried to catch up to Elizabeth. "I better come along, too."

* * *

Elizabeth remembered the way home perfectly, and she practically dragged Bill and Jack along with her. Never mind that she was still muddy and disheveled, never mind that she'd been awake for nearly 20 hours. She was going home, and nothing could abate her enthusiasm. 

Her house was not dark, as she'd expected it to be; there were several lights on, including in what Elizabeth remembered as Will's study. It gave her hope--someone was there, and if it wasn't Will and the children it should at least be someone she knew.

She debated just walking in, but she realized that, if it wasn't Will who was home, whoever was there would probably panic if some strange-looking woman claiming to be the mistress of the household just barged right in. So, taking a deep breath to calm herself, she knocked on the door.

A strange young man answered. "I'm sorry," Elizabeth said before he could get a word out. "I was looking for the Turner household."

"This is the Turner household," the man told her. "I am the butler." He paused, studying her. "If you're here to propose a relationship with Mr. Turner, however, I suggest you go home. He's not likely to admit you, and even if he did, he wouldn't accept. Poor man still thinks his wife will come back to him one day. It's a waste of your time." 

Elizabeth wasn't sure how to take that. She was delighted to hear that Will still had faith in her, but this new butler's tone suggested that many other ladies had come to her home intending to win her husband's hand. Besides, no butler should be sharing that kind of information with a stranger. But she smiled. "Oh, no. We need to speak to Mr. Turner, but it has nothing to do with proposing anything."

The butler frowned. "I'll announce you, miss..."

She paused. Finally, she decided to give her maiden name and act like a cousin, hoping that Will would be more likely to admit family. "Swann. Miss Swann." She smiled. "And yes, I am related to Governor Swann. I've just arrived in Port Royal tonight and I was hoping to meet my family."

He nodded. "Come in, please."

She followed him in, Bill and Jack in tow, and the butler closed the door behind them. "Wait here," he instructed. Elizabeth nodded and looked around. Will hadn't changed a thing--all her decorations and furnishings were exactly the way she'd left them.

Bill chuckled at the look on her face. "Good to be home?" he asked.

"You have no idea," she answered absently. All that was missing was her family...

"Jack, I thought you said Will wasn't home," Bill was saying. Elizabeth glanced at the pirate. She'd wondered the same thing.

Jack shrugged. "That's what I was told. It's not my fault somebody lied to me," he said defensively.

Before Elizabeth or Bill could say anything, the butler came back in. "I'm terribly sorry, Miss Swann, but Mr. Turner wishes to see no one this evening. Perhaps if you'd like to come back tomorrow...?"

_I knew I shouldn't have given my maiden name,_ she thought miserably. "I'm afraid that's just not an option, sir," she said. "My business is quite urgent--tell Mr. Turner that it concerns Bootstrap and Sparrow, among other things."

The butler frowned. "I'll convey your message, but I wouldn't expect anything." He disappeared again, but this time Jack followed him. Elizabeth had half a mind to stop him, but she realized that he might sway Will's mind and let him go.

This time, the butler took far less time. "He says to admit you--your friend is already there." He seemed slightly miffed at Jack's lack of etiquette, but he was hiding it well.

Elizabeth could barely contain her excitement as they walked down the hall. But, to her surprise, she was nervous. "You should go in first," she whispered to Bill.

Bill shook his head. "You've waited two years for this, and I'd already resigned myself to never seeing him again. You go ahead." They had reached the study door by now, and Bill gently pushed her through the door.

"Will?"

His head, which had been buried in his hands, shot up. "Elizabeth?" He half-rose from his seat by the fireplace in disbelief. "You're alive?"

She smiled, amazed to feel tears wetting her cheeks, and suddenly she found herself in his arms with absolutely no idea how she got there and absolutely no reason to care. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she drank in his presence and reveled in the kiss he planted firmly on her lips.

"I half believed you were dead," he whispered when she broke the kiss.

"And I half believed I'd never make it home to convince you otherwise," she whispered back. "You have no idea what I've been through."

Holding her as if she'd disappear if he let go, he kissed her again. "Yes, I do," he answered. "I imagined a thousand different fates for you each day, each worst than the last. The only thing that kept me from racing off to find you was that somebody had to stay here and watch the kids."

Her head shot back and a knot formed in her stomach. "They're okay, aren't they? I left them..." In all that time, she had never let herself think that they weren't all right.

Will smiled. "They're fine. They were found the next morning, but they had to get your father to come and let them out. Jack wouldn't budge for anybody else, and he wouldn't let them take Grace, either. He minds well, when he needs to." He smirked. "Though, recently, he's taken to not minding his bedtime. I put him to bed hours ago, but if I know Jack, he's snuck out of bed to play with his ships again."

"His ships?"

Will explained, "James Norrington gave him a set of toy naval ships for his birthday, probably thinking he'd get the boy interested in a career in the navy. But--" he looked at Sparrow, who was standing off in the corner with Bill and watching the couple intently--"I think Captain Sparrow over there will be delighted to hear that he painted one of them black, calls it the _Black Pearl_, and has it destroy the other ships on a daily basis."

Elizabeth chuckled, but Sparrow was grinning from ear to ear. He came over and pounded Will on the back. "Sounds like quite the kid you've got, there, Will. Good name, too."

Will smiled back, but his eyes never left his wife's face. "Do you want to go upstairs and see him? He'd be delighted to see you--he asks me about you every day."

"Yes," Elizabeth told him, warmed by the thought that her little boy remembered her promise. "But first, I have another surprise for you." She stepped aside to reveal Bill standing by the doorway.

"You don't remember me, do you, Will?" he asked as he walked over to his son.

Will shook his head slowly. "I do... but I don't remember how."

"Serves me right. I shouldn't have left you so early. But what's done is done. Do you forgive me, son?"

Will's eyes widened. "But... you're dead!"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Hard to die when you've been cursed. Even if you are underwater."

Of course. Will couldn't believe that he hadn't thought of it himself. "My father..." he muttered.

"Yes, well... I hear you've grown into the kind of man I can be proud of, Will. Good with a sword, too, or so Jack tells me." It was obvious that both men felt awkward.

"You two should spar," Jack suggested, coming up and looping one arm around each man's shoulder. "That would be quite the match."

Father and son exchanged identical glances, and burst out laughing.

"As spectacular as that fight may be, I'd really like to see my children," Elizabeth reminded them.

"Right! The kid!" Jack exclaimed. Elizabeth smiled and rolled her eyes, and Will cut him off before he could say more.

"Well, let's go see if he's awake." He led them up the stairs and, sure enough, there was a light coming from under the closed door of the nursery. "I'll go in first," Will whispered. "Stay quiet, now, so we don't wake Gracie."

He crept to the door and slowly opened it. "Jack, shouldn't you be in bed?" he demanded quietly.

"Yes, Papa," Jack muttered, properly ashamed as he gathered up his toys.

Will chuckled. "Don't look so sheepish, son. I'm not angry with you tonight. In fact, I've got a surprise for you."

Elizabeth stepped into the nursery before Jack could guess what his surprise might be. "Hi, Jack," she whispered, kneeling down and holding her arms out to him.

Jack grinned and ran to her. "I knew you were coming!" he cried happily.

"Shhh!" Elizabeth admonished, wrapping her arms around him in pure delight. "I promised I'd come back for you, didn't I? I'm sorry it took so long."

"That's okay, Mommy. You had to chase the bad guys very far so they couldn't get Gracie and me."

Elizabeth smiled, but changed the subject. "I'm not the only surprise your papa has for you tonight."

"Really? There's more?" He sounded so excited he could burst.

"Two more, actually," Will added. "This is your grandfather--" Bill smiled warmly at the boy, who smiled tentatively back--"and this is Captain Jack Sparrow." The pirate grinned and bowed.

"Wow, really? You're a pirate?"

"We both are," Bill said, amused.

Little Jack looked back and forth between the two men, awestruck and, for once in his young life, speechless.

"Why don't you show Grandpa and Captain Sparrow your _Black Pearl_?" Elizabeth suggested.

"Okay!" He took Bill in one hand and Sparrow in the other. "C'mon!" He dragged them over to a pile of toy ships strewn across the floor and proceeded to show them off. It wasn't long before they were engaged in the sea battle of the century--Sparrow, at the boy's insistence, was captaining the _Pearl_ against every ship in His Majesty's fleet (captained, of course, by Bill and young Jack), and winning quite thoroughly.

Elizabeth smiled at the sight, then turned to Will. "Grace must be in a different room so she can actually sleep?"

He smiled and nodded, taking her hand. "Yes. Maybe when she's older they can share the nursery, but for now I decided it was best to keep them separate. Come on."

She followed him down the hall a ways to Grace's room. Grace was, in fact, sound asleep in her crib, and she didn't move as her mother crept up to her side and smoothed out her hair.

To her surprise, Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears. "I didn't think I'd ever see her again. Or you, or Jack... I never stopped trying to get home, but somewhere along the way I think I lost hope. I was only trying because it was habit," she whispered to Will.

He smiled and put his arm around her waist, pulling her close. "I thought you were dead. I thought I'd never see you again. When you walked into my office, I couldn't believe my eyes," he whispered back.

"I'm glad we were wrong," Elizabeth sighed as she laid her head on her husband's shoulder.

"Me too."

_The End_

* * *

Well, not only was that the end, it was also the longest chapter in the whole story. Everybody cheer! And please, if you have any suggestions about how I can improve my writing, let me know. That's what the reviews are for anyway--so I know how to improve and then I go and do it so my next story is even better (speaking of which, my next story is going to be the back story to Cinnamon's "Rum Clouded Memories" if I can get it to work for me. So, while you're waiting, check out RCM if you haven't already. It's a good story, and I'm working hard to make sure that my spinoff is worthy of it). And I have a one-shot about Will called "Aim" that will soon be joined by one for Barbossa and one for Jack, though I'm not sure whether I'm going to make a collection of one-shots or just let each have a story of its own. So I would love it if you would be so kind as to check those out too.

To those of you who stuck it out until the end: THANK YOU! Without your support I wouldn't have bothered finishing this story, and I'm eternally grateful for your help.

Specifically, to Missy Mouse, special thanks for being my most consistent reviewer--I looked forward to your reviews and I greatly appreciated your encouragement. You're the greatest!

Many thanks and best wishes,

JSK


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